Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Iola, KS and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,599 a month against $2,638 in Iola, KS, rent and utilities included – about $12,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

128

Cost of Living Index in Iola, KS
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Iola, KS Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Iola, KS

🇺🇸 United States

$2,638

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,599

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Iola, KS and in Monterrey

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Iola, KS and in Monterrey actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,638 per month in Iola, KS vs $1,599 in Monterrey, rent included.

Iola, KS $2,638
Monterrey $1,599

A couple spends around $3,771 per month in Iola, KS vs $2,493 in Monterrey, rent included.

Iola, KS $3,771
Monterrey $2,493

A family of three spends $4,904 per month in Iola, KS vs $3,387 in Monterrey, rent included.

Iola, KS $4,904
Monterrey $3,387

Iola, KS costs about 65% more than Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Iola, KS and Monterrey sit above the global median – Iola, KS by 95%, Monterrey by 18%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$27.04 $27.04

$13.80 MX$255

95.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.7 $59.7

$47.99 MX$887

24.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.09 $11.09

$10.65 MX$197

4.13%

Cappuccino

$5.01 $5.01

$3.99 MX$73.7

25.56%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.66 MX$30.76

32.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 $2.20

$0.99 MX$18.21

122.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.63 $4.63

$2.36 MX$43.64

96.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.53 $6.53

$4.43 MX$81.8

47.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.82 MX$33.58

-38.46%

White Bread (500g)

$3.34 $3.34

$2.83 MX$52.4

18.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.92 MX$35.44

11.46%

Eggs

$3.70 $3.70

$2.48 MX$45.78

49.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.96 $10.96

$11.74 MX$217

-6.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.72 $8.72

$9.10 MX$168

-4.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.21 $15.21

$12.53 MX$232

21.39%

Apples (1kg)

$4.39 $4.39

$3.34 MX$61.6

31.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.08 $1.08

$1.57 MX$29.10

-31.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.00 $3.00

$2.16 MX$39.86

38.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.49 $4.49

$2.47 MX$45.65

81.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.69 $1.69

$2.31 MX$42.64

-26.84%

Onion (1kg)

$2.32 $2.32

$2.68 MX$49.47

-13.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.75 $1.75

$1.46 MX$26.90

19.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.00 $2.00

$1.19 MX$22.07

68.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.80 $7.80

$4.75 MX$87.8

64.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.26 $13.26

$13.58 MX$251

-2.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.92 MX$35.52

-7.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.33 $4.33

$2.88 MX$53.2

50.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.90 $1.90

$0.79 MX$14.66

140.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.36 MX$579

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 $2.91

$1.59 MX$29.44

83.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.39 $1.39

$1.06 MX$19.58

31.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.65 $35.65

$10.80 MX$200

230.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.55 MX$28.59

-39.35%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$27.9K $27.9K

$24.2K MX$446.4K

15.56%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$27.2K $27.2K

$24.3K MX$449.4K

11.86%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$268 $268

$117 MX$2,159

129.48%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$59.6 $59.6

$26.38 MX$488

125.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.9 $73.9

$26.04 MX$481

183.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 $46.01

$30.26 MX$559

52.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.25 MX$393

Cinema Ticket

$11.94 $11.94

$5.23 MX$96.6

128.30%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$760 $760

$673 MX$12.4K

13.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.9K $20.9K

$11.1K MX$205.2K

88.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.4 $73.4

$72.1 MX$1,332

1.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.20 $37.20

$42.38 MX$783

-12.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.1 $78.1

$112 MX$2,066

-30.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 $124

$119 MX$2,200

4.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,569 $1,569

$949 MX$17.5K

65.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,308 $1,308

$666 MX$12.3K

96.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,512 $2,512

$1,821 MX$33.7K

37.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,127 $2,127

$1,271 MX$23.5K

67.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,470 $2,470

$4,050 MX$74.8K

-39.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,702 $2,702

$2,348 MX$43.4K

15.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,155 MX$21.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.36

11.79

-46.06%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Iola, KS: October 19, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Iola, KS

$1.3K 49.6%

Monterrey

$666 41.7% 49% $641

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Iola, KS

$402 15.2%

Monterrey

$169 10.6% 57.8% $232

Eating Out

Iola, KS

$364 13.8%

Monterrey

$221 13.9% 39.1% $142

Groceries & Markets

Iola, KS

$338 12.8%

Monterrey

$304 19% 9.9% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Iola, KS

$141 5.3%

Monterrey

$155 9.7% 10.5% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Iola, KS

$70 2.7%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 41.7% $29

Getting Around

Iola, KS

$17 * 0.7%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 137% $24

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,569 in Iola, KS versus $949 in Monterrey. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in Iola, KS versus $48.00 in Monterrey. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $338 vs $304 – making Monterrey the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Iola, KS

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

05:30 5:30 AM

04:30 4:30 AM

1 h behind Iola, KS

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,400

1,142,994

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Iola, KS Monterrey 1,440 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Iola, KS
Monterrey

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Iola, KS vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Iola, KS costs about 65% more than Monterrey, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,958 per month in Iola, KS and $2,399 in Monterrey. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Monterrey, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in Iola, KS and $48.00 in Monterrey. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 11% more in Iola, KS, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Monterrey, where all-in costs run around $1,599, than in Iola, KS at $2,638. In Monterrey it covers expenses comfortably, while in Iola, KS it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Monterrey costs $1,599 versus $2,638 in Iola, KS. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Monterrey. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Iola, KS makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.